Basic Chuck Roast

September 6, 2012December 6, 2016paleoinpdx

When I was back in Michigan a couple weeks ago, my mom made a wonderful grass-fed English roast for dinner one night. After tasting it and all its glory, I vowed to make one upon returning to Portland.

This past weekend, while Jesse and I were at the farmer’s market, I remembered the roast. So, as I was buying some grass-fed buffalo soup bones to make a batch of bone broth, I picked up a small 2.33 pound grass-fed chuck roast as well. This is all compliments of Pine Mountain Ranch, which has a wonderful and extensive meat selection — all grass-fed and pasture-raised! I always buy meat from them when I go to the farmer’s market. They even sell grass-fed ground beef for $5.99/lb!

Anyway, I decided to make the roast in my slow cooker, which my mom said is the ideal way to do it. I believe her too — after all, the slow cooker makes everything better, juicier and more tender! My mom also told me to season and sear both sides of the roast in a pan on the stove before putting it into the slow cooker, which I guess adds flavor and locks in moisture. Makes sense. I’m glad she told me this though, because I probably would’ve just thrown it into the slow cooker completely raw had I not known. I’m still learning all these meat techniques, you know? After all, I had never cooked or even touched raw meat until last November and as the title states, this is my first roast ever! Needless to say, I’m learning all the time.

Ingredients:

2-3 lb grass-fed chuck roast
1 tsp ghee, coconut oil, butter or fat of choice
1 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 – 1 cup broth of choice (preferably homemade) or water

Directions:

Heat fat in a pan over medium-high heat. Season the chuck roast with sea salt and pepper to taste and then place in the pan. Sear about 4 minutes each side. Once done, place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place the chopped onion and carrots around and on top of the meat. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, and add the red pepper flakes, if using. Then, pour in broth and apple cider vinegar.
Set the slow cooker on low and let cook for 7-8 hours. Alternatively, if you don’t have enough time, set the slow cooker to high and cook for 5-6 hours. Once done, shred the meat, if desired or cut off pieces to serve.